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Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

Misaki Iishi Misaki Iishi Melbourne, Australia Last Updated: October 2024 ANZSIC OD5694 Spotlight Report

Revenue

$1.2bn

2024-25

$1.2bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$XXX.Xm

Employees

5,242

Businesses

2,231

Wages

$XXX.Xm

Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia industry analysis

Revenue for the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry has risen over the past few years. Payroll and bookkeeping service providers have increasingly adopted new technology like cloud-based accounting software amid digitalisation trends. These trends have had mixed impacts on the industry. While new technology has supported providers in improving efficiency and accuracy, they have also lowered barriers to entry for many new small-scale operators, thanks to the reduced cost of doing business. As a result, intense competition has encouraged providers to differentiate from rivals through value-added services or by lowering prices to attract and retain clients. These factors are expected to cause a 0.8% dip in industry revenue in 2024-25. Nevertheless, revenue is anticipated to climb at an annualised 1.1% over the five years through the end of 2024-25, to $1.2 billion.

Trends and Insights

  • Payroll and bookkeeping service providers and their clients are benefitting from cloud-based software. Cloud-based accounting software has simplified payroll and bookkeeping tasks and reduced operating costs, which has lowered barriers to entry for many new small-scale operators.
  • Payroll administration services generate the biggest share of industry revenue. Businesses and individuals outsource payroll and bookkeeping services to external providers to improve efficiency while ensuring compliance with laws and regulations.
  • Low entry barriers have encouraged an influx of new small-scale operators. This trend has resulted in a climbing number of enterprises, establishments and employees over the past few years.

Everything you need in one report

  • Reliable market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Competitive analysis, industry segmentation, financial benchmarks
  • Powerful SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces and risk management frameworks
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Access hundreds of analysis and data

  • Market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Critical performance data and rankings
  • Detailed analysis of competitive forces and the external environment
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 1.1 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $1.2bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

The rise of cloud-based accounting software has intensified competition

  • Demand for real-time data access and convenience has grown as businesses and individuals increasingly adopt IT and telecommunications. This trend has encouraged payroll and bookkeeping service providers to adopt cloud-based accounting software, making their services more accessible.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Expected economic recovery is poised to increase industry revenue

  • Easing inflationary pressures are set to boost business confidence over the coming years. The improving economic outlook will likely lead to a rising number of businesses, which is poised to stimulate demand for payroll and bookkeeping service providers.

Biggest companies in the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia

There are no companies that hold a large enough market share in the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia industry for IBISWorld to include in this product.

Products & Services Segmentation

Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Payroll administration services, Bookkeeping and billing services and Other services. Payroll administration services is the largest segment of the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia.

Trends and Insights

Businesses are increasingly outsourcing payroll administration services

  • Payroll administration services include preparing and handling employees' wages and salaries for clients while guaranteeing compliance with specific federal, state and territory requirements.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

Bookkeepers and payroll service providers offer outsourced payroll services and basic bookkeeping services for clients' employees in compliance with laws and regulations. Payroll services include preparing payslips, handling salary payments and superannuation. Bookkeeping services encompass recording financial transactions, maintaining ledgers and preparing financial statements.

What's included in this industry?

Payroll administration servicesBookkeeping and billing servicesGeneral accounting services

Companies

Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

BookkeepingPayrollOutsourcing

Industry Code

ANZSIC 2006

ANZSIC 6932 - Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Payroll and bookkeeping service providers and their clients are benefitting from cloud-based software. Cloud-based accounting software has simplified payroll and bookkeeping ...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Factors that influence volatility in the industry
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Payroll administration services generate the biggest share of industry revenue. Businesses and individuals outsource payroll and bookkeeping services to external providers to...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Purchase this report to unlock analyst insights.

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Low entry barriers have encouraged an influx of new small-scale operators. This trend has resulted in a climbing number of enterprises, establishments and employees over the ...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

The industry faces moderate regulation and policy. Payroll and bookkeeping service providers must be current on laws, regulations and requirements relevant to wages, financia...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Purchase costs for payroll and bookkeeping service providers are minimal, which helps them maintain higher profitability. With few inputs required for services, purchases pri...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Average Wage (2014-2029)
  • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
  • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2014-2029)
  • IVA (2014-2029)
  • Establishments (2014-2029)
  • Enterprises (2014-2029)
  • Employment (2014-2029)
  • Exports (2014-2029)
  • Imports (2014-2029)
  • Wages (2014-2029)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia in 2024?

The market size of the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia is $1.2bn in 2024.

How many businesses are there in the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia industry in 2024?

There are 2,231 businesses in the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia, which has grown at a CAGR of 4.8 % between 2019 and 2024.

Has the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia has been growing at a CAGR of 1.1 % between 2019 and 2024.

What is the forecast growth of the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia is expected to grow.

What does the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in Australia include?

Payroll administration services and Bookkeeping and billing services are part of the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry.

How competitive is the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia?

The level of competition is low and steady in the Payroll and Bookkeeping Services industry in Australia.

Related Industries

Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

View all industries in Australia

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in Australia include:

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics
  • Australian Taxation Office
  • Australian Securities & Investments Commission

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.